Fertile Ground: Soundgarden

MIXING ENGINEER Ron St. Germain stands at a tape machine in a Tarzana studio, twisting the reels by hand until he creates the perfect space between a song-closing guitar blast and the screaming riff that opens the next. After four months of recording and mixing, Soundgarden's new album Badmotorfinger -- a pivotal record by a band with a shot at all the marbles -- is done.